In large institutional settings, such as hospitals, the dispensing and delivery of drugs has become a time consuming process. Transporting objects via pneumatic tubes is known to the art. Pneumatic delivery systems are used extensively for the rapid and efficient transportation of a wide variety of articles. These delivery systems are used in a number of business operations, including, but not limited to, banks, hospitals, office buildings, industrial plants, and transportation terminals.
A basic pneumatic tube system generally consists of tubing, a blower, a carrier, and stations to deliver medical products from point A to point B. A carrier is a reusable plastic container that holds and protects items sent through the pneumatic tube system. A blower is a large fan that moves carriers through the tubes via vacuum and pressure. Delivery stations are positioned throughout a facility to allow personnel to send and receive carriers. To send a payload in a carrier, an object is placed within a carrier, which is then transported to a desired destination within enclosed pneumatic tubing by air under either positive or negative pressure created by the blower. The interior of the closed tube and the outer dimension of the carrier form a seal so that the carrier can be propelled between the destinations by vacuum or positive air pressure.
Existing pneumatic tube systems generally comprise two different layouts: point-to-point and a more complex layout utilizing diverters. The existing point-to-point layout is not computerized, but uses a timer to send and received a carrier between two stations. Its major advantage is speed since the carrier is simply delivered from point A to point B. However, its major disadvantage is that it cannot transport carriers to multiple destinations.
The existing complex layout is meant to overcome the point-to-point system by increasing destination stations. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a typical existing complex system 100 utilizes a plurality of stations 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d interconnected using pneumatic tubing 102. The system 100 further utilizes diverters 112a and 112b, which are switching devices located between stations within the tube network that allow carriers to travel between any two delivery stations. The exemplary diverters 112a and 112b comprise flexible tubes 113a and 113b that are connected at their first ends 115a and 115b to tubing 111f and 111e, respectively. Flexible tubes 113a and 113b are connected at their second ends 114a and 114b to rails 116a and 116b, respectively. Flexible tubes 113a and 113b slide along rails 116a and 116b to align with the port of the desired tubing 111a, 111b, 111e and 111c, 111d, respectively. System 100 utilizes a single blower 110, which creates vacuum pressure either in the forward or reverse direction throughout the entire system 100. To transport a carrier 155a from station 101a to station 101b, the system 100 directs flexible tube 113a of diverter 112a to slide along rails 116a so that its second end 114a is aligned with tube 111a. Blower 110 creates a vacuum to pull the carrier via suction from station 101a, through tubing 111a and flexible tube 113a to tubing 111f. Next, the second end 114a of flexible tube 113a is aligned with tubing 111b, and blower 110 is switched to a pressure states to push the carrier from tubing 111f, through flexible tube 113a and tubing 111b to station 101b. A second carrier 155b may be transported from station 101c to station 101d in a similar manner. As is apparent, the current complex system's major advantage is the ability of transporting the carriers from a plurality of locations. However, its main limitation is that it can only deliver a single carrier per transaction. Since a single blower 110 is utilized, when carrier 155a is transported from station 101a to station 101b, a second carrier 155b cannot be transported from station 101c to station 101d at the same time. Thus, when a new carrier is received by the system, it needs to wait until the system completes the delivery of a carrier already in the system. Only when the carrier that is already in the system is transported to its desired destination can the system begin transporting the new carrier. This significantly prolongs the delivery time. Also, when a carrier is vacuumed from a station to a diverter, it needs to first wait for the system to switch to the correct pressured state before it can travel to its destination, further delaying delivery time. To increase the number of carriers to be transported through the system, current complex systems employ multiple zones. For instance, in order to transport five carriers at the same time, the pneumatic tube system needs five separate zones, resulting in five blowers or less. In addition, each such zone will require its own sending and receiving stations and tubing—increasing the amount of tubing used, the number of stations at the same location, and the required air abundance.
Thus, there is clearly a need for a system and method that eliminates such disadvantages by promoting faster travel time, increasing the number of transactions per zone, and reducing air abundance per zone.